A wireless network is a digital communications network that allows a wireless network device to communicate with or access a computer network via a radio communication link. For a number of years, the most common type of wireless network has been that which is commonly referred to as “WiFi” or “802.11,” the latter term in reference to the IEEE 802.11 set of standards that govern such networks. Such an 802.11 network comprises one or more access points (APs) that are each connected by a wired connection with a router or similar networking device. The router or other such networking device allows a client device, such as a portable computer, smartphone, etc., to communicate with or access a computer network. It is common for the networking device to provide the client device with a connection to the Internet.
In public areas, such as airports, shopping malls, multi-unit buildings, etc., such a networking device may have more than one tenant. The term “controller” is used herein to refer to such a multi-tenant networking device. The term “tenant” in this context refers to a system that controls a wireless mesh network in an environment in which two or more such wireless mesh networks share the same controller.
A wireless mesh network is a digital communications network comprising APs organized in a mesh topology, where each AP can communicate via radio communication links in a peer-to-peer manner with other such APs in the network. Each AP can receive a message from another (peer) AP and forward or relay the message to still another (peer) AP. The message reaches its ultimate destination via one or more such relays or “hops” as they are commonly referred to in the art. In a client-server computing system, the source and destination of a message is generally a client device or a server device. Wireless mesh networks provide numerous benefits over other types of wireless networks, including redundancy. For example, if a wireless mesh AP is removed from operation in the network, it may still be possible for messages that would have been routed via that AP to reach their destinations via alternative routes. A route through the wireless mesh network between an AP and the controller via one or more hops can be referred to as an uplink. Wireless mesh networks can employ radio technology and protocols that are similar to those employed in non-mesh wireless networks, such as those governed by IEEE 802.11. A set of standards known as IEEE 802.11s relates more specifically to wireless mesh networks and is an extension of the IEEE 802.11 set of standards.
A subset of wireless mesh APs in a network may also be wireless mesh portal APs. A wireless mesh portal AP not only can communicate via wireless communication links with peers but also can communicate via a wired connection with, for example, the controller. The controller can serve as a gateway to a computer network, such as the Internet.
To install a wireless mesh network, a system administrator or similar person (referred to herein for convenience as a “user”) commonly first determines the network topology, i.e., the spatial positions in which each wireless mesh AP is to be placed relative to its peers. The user then configures each wireless mesh AP with information that enables it to connect to the wireless mesh network. For example, each wireless mesh AP must be provided with the service set identifier (SSID) of the wireless mesh network. The user then plugs the one or more wireless mesh APs that are portals into a wired network, and positions the remaining wireless mesh APs.
The above-described method for installing a wireless mesh network requires that the user possess substantial technical knowledge of wireless mesh networking and provide substantial physical interaction with the wireless mesh APs. It would be desirable to provide a system and method in which less interaction with the user is required to form or install a wireless mesh network.